The storm had raged all night. When the sun finally rose, Aarav and Meera could finally see what the wind had done it had unearthed an ancient chest in their backyard. The chest was heavy, covered in rust, and had strange symbols carved into the lid.
“We have to open it!” Meera whispered, her eyes shining with excitement.
Aarav hesitated. ‘What if it’s cursed?’
Meera laughed, “Come on, it’s probably just an old toolbox”.
Together, they pried the lid open. A loud creak echoed in the morning air. Inside, they saw—not gold, not jewels, but something completely unexpected.
Aarav gasped. ‘No way… this can’t be real!’
They saw a folded piece of paper that looked yellow, old, and crinkly. They unfolded it and were surprised to see that it was not an ordinary piece of paper, but a map with a specific location marked as ‘X’. Meera said to Aarav, “Look, it’s a map. I think it might help us find some sort of treasure.”
Aarav replied, “Are you serious, Meera? These things only happen in fictional stories.”
“But what if it really means something?” Meera asked. “I think we should follow this map.”
Aarav agreed, and both of them embarked on a journey to discover the truth behind it.
They studied the map carefully and figured out that ‘X’ was surrounded by trees. They followed the map and went to a nearby forest. It was very difficult for them to navigate through the dense vegetation. After a few minutes, they saw an ‘X’ impression marked on the ground. They dug at that spot and found a chest labelled “Life in the Past” along with a key.
They used the key to open the chest. Expecting to find some sort of treasure inside, they were surprised to see some unexpected items: a magazine and a stamp from 1960, a video recorder, and some photographs.
Aarav said to Meera, “Let’s go to my house and check the recorder.”
Soon, they reached Aarav’s house, and he told his mom everything. They checked the recorder and found a video where some children were talking. Those children hoped that by the 2020s, we would have many technological innovations, like flying cars or even living on Mars!
“Actually, my friends and I made this video,” his mom said. “We wanted to create a time capsule, but we eventually forgot about it.”
Aarav and Meera exclaimed, “It was such a lovely experience!”
Moral: The story tells us that exploring never stops and there is always a way to connect with the past and enrich our future.
SUNAINA MANDAL VIII/B
